adventures + observations in food + life

Tag Archives: art

Odds and ends
And pots and pans,
Champagne pops
And starts and stops,
Plants and things
And in between,
Tabletops with
Art and feeling.

And art on my brother’s driveway.

Oh, assonance… And consonance… And rhyme… And half-rhyme… Happy new year, and new post, to you too.

Yes, a new year has begun (plus a few weeks now), and I’m happy to be starting it here with words and art, and to be sharing them with you. Words and art, yes, sounds like a good start. That’s one of several thoughts, or odds and ends, that I’ve been collecting. And here are a few more. They follow below, shared as always as a gift for me and you, to peruse and read and at your own pace go through.

1) Pots and Pans: I usually make a few resolutions at the start of each year (any time is good though), and this year was no different. On the afternoon of January 1st, I found myself creating a new note on my phone, a five-minute exercise that left me with some old favorites and general reminders.

Among the highlights was the perennial, “Learn how to juggle five” :), written more actionably and meditatively this time though as, “Juggle five – practice every day for five minutes, relax, and have fun.” (I’ve practiced a few days so far, but not quite yet…every day.) A few general feel-good reminders included, “Be kind every day” and “Be grateful every day.” And then there were some healthy environment ones like, “Do the dishes at least every other day.”

They can really stack up after a while, right??? This was a week’s worth, and actually the first week of the year’s worth. To be fair though, I was sick and wasn’t doing much of anything that week. How about that After picture though?? Yes, thank you very much. (Two weeks later, I’m still kind of working on the ‘at least every other day’ part of this one…but details.)

2) Planting Plant Plans: I have a lot of starter houseplants and a lot of pots waiting for them, so one of my goals over the next few weeks is to bring them together. I have a vision for a garden apartment, with the garden on the inside.

Meanwhile on the outside, I planted some garlic.

Planting garlic and growing and harvesting it is one of the easiest, and most satisfying, garden things you can do. It practically grows itself. It’s like magic – each clove that you plant turns into a full head of garlic.

If you’re interested, and I hope you are :), here’s what to do. First get some garlic bulbs at the farmer’s market (the bulbs at the supermarket might have been treated to prevent sprouting). Then pull the cloves apart, leaving the papery husks on, and plant the cloves right side up about 2″ deep and 8″ apart. Usually, you plant them in late fall, but I’ve planted them as late as December…or also now, well, January 8th according to my notes. We’ll see how it goes! I also planted them in pots for the first time.

The outer five, they got the garlic

It’s okay if the ground freezes after you plant the cloves too. The new plants should come up in the spring if not sooner. Then in April/May/June you snap off the garlic scapes (the green stems that start curling around themselves) to force more energy into the new bulb, and in June/July you harvest (dig up) the new bulbs when the leaves start to brown.

Future houseplants, modeling

3) Freezer Files

The fridge in my apartment came with a freezer (I know, pretty cool, right?), and over the past three years I’ve been doing my best to fill it.

This was the actual view as of two weeks ago. The thing is, this was also essentially the actual view as of five months ago.

I’d filled it over time, and then I got leftover and other-frozen-food usage paralysis. I knew what I wanted to do, which was to go through everything, use it all, and write about it at the same time. It seemed so daunting though, so I never got started. What would the rules be? Would I have to eat only from the freezer until it was all gone? (Meaning no cooking, i.e., not doing something I like?) How long would it take? Would I write a single post at the end about the process, or also one at the beginning? Or should I write several along the way? What if I started and it didn’t go like I thought it would? What if it didn’t work out? What if I messed it up??

Okay, brain, let’s hold the phone for a second there.

What if I just started and saw how it went?

So that’s what I did (and recalled that, yes, that has worked many times in the past (ex. 1, ex. 2)). The beauty and the truth is that of course it’ll work, and that’s what it’s doing now, working out. Now a few weeks in, I’ve eaten or combined into new dishes several freezer items. I’ve also tossed a few items, a temporary affront to my ‘never waste anything’ ideal, but otherwise it’s going great. And it feels great. Item by frozen item, I’m cleaning up the freezer. I’m putting things to use, and I’m simplifying and letting go. Less is more.

Mmmmmmm, no longer frozen and so tasty again eggplant rollatini

Food is meant to be eaten. And you have to start somewhere, so start where you’re at. Get going.

The rules are There are no rules. I’ll use as many things as I can, cook and combine them whenever possible, and take notes along the way, leading to probably a final post but perhaps some interim ones too. I’ll figure it out as I go.

4) Marathon Miles

I signed up for the New Jersey Marathon! Yay!

That decision, made two months ago, was followed by me starting to increase my miles and do some speed workouts. Also yay, except that my doctor had advised against doing the latter workouts so as not to aggravate a minor hip injury. After about three weeks, I realized I should have followed his advice. Boo.

So I bought myself a foam roller (thank you, Princeton Running Company) and have been doing some eggplant side-rollatini-ing. And doing way fewer miles. And going slower. I also starting some physical therapy (diagnosis: gluteus medius strain (yup…weak cheeks)).

The calendar reality is that I don’t think I’ll be doing the marathon now. Maybe I could still do the half, but we’ll see. My freezer file mind is reminding that it’ll all work out, and that once again, as always, I should start where I’m at.

If you can’t run 10 miles, run 3.
If you’re injured, do PT.
If you have an itch in the middle of your leg, scratch your knee.

Okay, that last one was just for the rhymes 🙂

5) March Saneness

This one deserves to go in the opposite direction of alliteration.

There was nothing mad about the Women’s March on Washington this past Saturday. It was solidarity, love, inspiration, and the opposite of hate and madness. I can’t think of a more right place to have been that day than right there with a number of friends, and with everyone else who marched there in Washington and also around the county and the world. We all have our own steps, and for me there was no decision to make but to step out of my own quiet kitchen and start going. The following is what I shared on Facebook that evening:

“We will not go from being a nation of immigrants to a nation of ignorance” – America Ferrera
“Courage will not skip this generation” – Roslyn Brock
“Sometimes we must put our bodies where our beliefs are.” – Gloria Steinem

– Words heard and felt today in Washington, D.C.

6) The Art of Food and Life

How lucky are we, how lucky am I, really.

I have friends I can march with. I can take care of my body, and my mind. I have a freezer full of food. I have plants. I have a kitchen. I have words, and I have art.

There is art on driveways (thank you, artist sister-in-law). And there is art on my kitchen table, a rotating temporary art installation. The current view includes tomatoes from the community garden at work, grapefruit from my mom, and odds and ends from myself and friends.

The view, the backdrop, also includes one of my grandfather’s watercolors, a gift a few years ago from my great aunt. There was a time I thought I would hang it up one day, but I’ve realized I like where it’s at. Along with everything else, it helps make for a full table. And it feels good.

Where else can you buy a bag of apples for $6 the day before Thanksgiving?

There were also 55 apples in the bag, but who’s counting.

It took me exactly 30 minutes to peel the 55 apples, which means I peeled about 1.8 apples/minute, but again, numbers.

What is important is that with this many apples, you can make a fair amount of applesauce.

How much applesauce, you might ask? Ah yes, another number!

Several numbers actually. By the time I had finished making the applesauce, it was time to eat Thanksgiving dinner at my parents’ house. So I borrowed a tape measure from my mom and made a few quick measurements. And then a week later, I did the calculations, and made some new art math.

Yes, that’s right. I made a gallon and a half of applesauce.

The great thing about applesauce, though, is that you don’t have to make 194 ounces to enjoy it. You can make as much or as little as you like, it’s really easy to make (one ingredient!), and it tastes so good and naturally sweet. If you’ve never made it, give it a try – here’s the recipe.

Applesauce

10 apples (or more)

(Optional) 1/4 cup apple cider or water

(Optional) Cinnamon

Peel the apples

Chop the apples into pieces (discard the cores)

(Optional) Add the apple cider or water to a pot

Add the chopped apples to the pot and cook over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally

Cook until the applesauce is the desired consistency (smooth, chunky, or in between)

(Optional) Add a little cinnamon

As the apples heat up, they become soft and release some of their juices. Then they do all the work themselves and cook themselves into applesauce. If you want to speed things up, you could add a little apple cider or water at the beginning, and you could also cook them covered for a bit. Towards the end, you could use a potato masher too, if what you want is smoother applesauce more quickly.

Whatever you do, make sure to stir the apples occasionally so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. There’s nothing like having to use a second or third pot on a single batch of applesauce, and then having to do a multiple-pot-cleaning (scrubbing) afterwards. I mean, hypothetically speaking of course 🙂 My last note is that all types of apples are good to use. For the sweetest, richest applesauce flavor, I’ll use several different types of apples together.

But what about the brownies? I thought there were going to be brownies! Applesauce Brownies!! And while we’re on the topic, what is an Applesauce Brownie???

Yes, exactly! I was wondering what an Applesauce Brownie is too, so I made some.

I’d actually been wondering this for a while, as I remember having eaten them once as a kid and having been amazed that they tasted like brownies despite having applesauce in them. Lucky for me, I now had one of the main ingredients on hand, and in abundance. So into the kitchen I went: Curiosity plus surplus equals creation.

I looked up a brownie recipe in a printed cookbook, searched for applesauce brownie recipes online, and then on the advice that applesauce is a big ingredient in vegan baking, I searched for vegan applesauce brownies too.

Applesauce brownie batter, Version one

The vegan suggestion, combined with my further searching, got me thinking. What is the fewest number of ingredients I could use and still end up with brownies? The Google auto-fill in the search bar was pointing me in this direction too, listing among other things the following:

Baking substitute applesauce for eggs

Baking substitute applesauce for butter

Baking substitute applesauce for oil

Could applesauce be that versatile? And in the same recipe??

I thought, Let’s find out! The short answer to both questions is yes. The long answer is it took me two tries to come up with a recipe that I liked. For the first version, I used the following: applesauce, cocoa powder, salt, sugar, vanilla, and flour. It turned out alright, but it also came out a little flat, literally, and had an interesting chocolately, apple tangy flavor.

Version one (with b/g apples from a different purchase)

When making version two, I included the three ingredients I figured had been missing in version one: baking powder, baking soda, and chocolate. And the result?

Right now, in the present moment, I am sitting on the porch steps in front of my apartment.

Orlando

I just re-read my last three posts, the story of my Orlando trip, and it’s time for one more, part four.

Part I – Orlando, in words and picturesPart II – Orlando, in words, pictures, and artPart III – Orlando, in words, pictures, art, and numbers

Part IV is Orlando, in song.

It’s all part of the story – the process and the progress, the love and the hope, and the bits in between where I fail, learn, and grow, and have the courage to share it for myself and others, to tell, turn, and show.

I’m doing my best, and I’m proud of the storytelling, and the story-living.

The truth is also that Part IV is the first one I wrote. It was the guide for the rest, and when you go back and read Parts I, II, and III, for the full artist’s statement, I have a feeling you’ll be able to see it. 🙂

I went for a run in my hometown this weekend, on streets I’d never been before, and found myself making up the route as I went and trusting that I’d make it back alright to my friends’ house. And I did make it back, and at the same time made it forward, with good thoughts including the one that All roads lead home. We all have it all within us.

With peace, self-love, hope, letting go, and faith, I share with you the next part: Orlando, in song.

Walking in the park
And singing to the stars,
I feel them right
There within me,
Reflecting
A beating heart,
The trees above
And sand below,
A fire burning
A noble spark,
The path it comes
And on it goes,
And I’m there,
I’m there with you

Come home Orlando,
Where you been
Where you going,
It’s been a long time
Without you,
I’ve been waiting
And a knowing,
That the days they
Come and go and
Everyday you’re
Ever flowing
And I feel more
Where I’m going
And I’m there,
I’m there with you

Drawing in a bar,
All the lines
And the parts,
I see them right
There before me,
The model near
The model far,
And fast it comes
And also stalls,
The graph it grows
And homeward calls,
And on we play
Our growing roles,
And I’m there,
I’m there with you.

Come home Orlando,
Where you been
Where you going,
It’s been a long time
Without you,
I’ve been waiting
And a knowing,
That the days they
Come and go and
Everyday you’re
Ever flowing,
And I see more
Where I’m going,
And I’m there,
I’m there with you

Running in the streets,
And listening
To the beat,
The loop it grows
Fast under feet,
And continues
When I see
The Dinky Line
An orange Einstein
And the avenue
With the Shine,
And yes it’s time
A thrift store find,
To go and see
A show and be.

Come home Orlando,
Where you been
Where you going,
It’s been a long time
Without you,
I’ve been waiting
And a knowing,
That the days they
Come and go and
Everyday you’re
Ever flowing,
And I know more
Where I’m going,
And I’m there,
I’m there with you.

When I woke up that Friday morning, my fourth day in Orlando, I knew I had one main choice to make for the day: whether to go back to Wekiwa Springs State Park and go kayaking for most of the day (as I originally thought I would do – Part 1) or stay in the city and relax.

I wanted to do both, but thinking of all I’d done on Thursday (Part II) and what I most wanted out of Friday, I chose the latter.

The decision was actually easier than I thought, and my feeling that it was the right decision was confirmed during my morning run, an easy 35-minutes around town.

Yes, this is what I want to be doing, I thought as I jogged – taking it easy, not rushing, and letting come what may. What if I didn’t worry and just did that? Yes, let’s go.

About ten minutes into the run, I got to the Orlando Urban Trail, a paved running and biking trail similar to the Cady Way Trail that I’d been on two days earlier.

I couldn’t believe it, but there it was, in Orlando – the Dinky Line!

This was remarkable because in Princeton we have the Dinky too! Technically it’s the Princeton Shuttle, a 2.9-mile NJ Transit commuter rail line that connects Princeton and Princeton Junction (where you can then go north to New York, or south to Trenton and Philly). To anyone who’s local, it’s the Dinky. I promised myself I’d come back later and get a picture (which I did the next day).

With a Dinky-inspired smile, I continued on my run, passing through Lake Eola Park, Thornton Park, and then Mills 50 on my way back to my Airbnb. Along the way, I found myself smiling again when I happened upon another reminder of home.

Yes, in the Mills 50 neighborhood in Orlando, at the intersection of art and utility boxes, there’s an orange Einstein.

It’s good to get away and leave home for a fresh perspective. And it’s also good, when you’re away and relaxed, to be reminded of home. I was running at the pace of Dave, feeling a greater sense of self and doing what I wanted. And then, without trying, I found the Dinky and Einstein. I was away from home, yet I was at home at the same time. What if I brought some of this home back with me?

Part of my run also went down Shine Avenue. Yes, Orlando, full of great signs 🙂

One of my reasons for dedicating the day, Friday, to relaxing and local exploring was that I was doing the Best Damn Race Orlando Half Marathon the next day. I didn’t want to rush when picking up my race packet, and staying local meant I could also take advantage of the kitchen in the Airbnb to cook my favorite pre-long-race meal.

For a while, this pre-race meal (whenever possible) has been homemade tomato sauce and pasta. And that’s what I made. Crushed tomatoes, garlic, onions (the ones that I’d picked the day before at the farm!), olive oil, salt, and pepper. The leftovers were also good the next day after the race, and on the plane ride home on Sunday.

I also sauteed some spinach and cut some carrots, because that’s what I do

After dinner, I wrapped up my Friday by going to an improv show at SAK Comedy Lab in downtown Orlando. I’d heard about SAK from someone at Tasty Tuesdays, and having done improv myself recently with some friends at home and knowing how hard/easy/stressful/freeing/awesome it can be to do – you should try it! if you want to – I was looking forward to seeing a live show.

The show was great, and on top of that there was also the wall-art with the improv of life reminders.

I had initially stopped by SAK in the afternoon to buy a ticket. Seeing no one at front desk, I continued on in and headed up the stairs. While looking at the Improv is Life wisdom-inspiration murals, I ran into the person, Dale, who would be hosting the show that night. He gave me the details on the tickets (can reserve them online) and the art (one of the performers, who is also a visual artist, designed everything).

Sometimes at work in the morning, I’ll write daily intention reminders to myself on a yellow post-it. I didn’t realize it at the time, but taking these pictures at SAK was like doing the same thing, on a larger scale.

I invite you to click, expand, and pan through the murals and see what thoughts and ideas resonate with you. And to see an improv show, and to try it too.

The words in these pictures
And my words and pictures
Are for everyone,
Friends old and new and not yet known.
They’re there for me
And there for you,
Feelings felt and
Feelings shown

For my last day in Orlando, part one was doing the half marathon. When I had originally signed up for it, I thought it would be my weekly long run as part of training for a spring marathon. I never found the right marathon motivation though, so I never signed up for one. This is also to say that had there been any doubt, my goal for the Best Damn Race Orlando Half Marathon was at this point definitely to have it mirror my goal for the trip as a whole – to move myself in the direction I wanted to go in, relax and enjoy it, and welcome the outcome and whatever comes.

I found and welcomed the sunrise on my way to the start.

I also found my lucky numbers, 313.
No better a birthday, or combination of primes, has the world known. I may be biased though.

The route took us through some familiar neighborhoods and streets, including Shine Ave. There might have been delays for the cars that morning, but I wasn’t feeling any because, me, I wasn’t in a rush. I’ll race a race once in a while, but more often lately what I’ve been doing is appreciating the beauty of running at the pace that feels right for the day. I didn’t want to run as hard as possible and injure myself, so I didn’t. And I wanted to run at a more relaxed pace and enjoy it, so I did. It felt great, and I ran a few fun, faster miles towards the end. And I finished and lived to run another day.

Repping PRC in ORD

The wings, they spin

I only had one of these recovery drinks. You saw all the sweat in that picture of me running, right?

A few days later when I looked at the results again, I was like, Wait a second, wow!
My gun time was 1:36:36.9, which meant that If I had kept running and were able to keep the same pace for a full marathon (that is, if I kept training and were then able to keep running the same pace), my final time would be 3:13:13! I’d found my numbers again, and again without trying.

Back to my last day in Orlando, post-half marathon, I had one final decision to make: to DRIP or not to DRIP.

At the bar a few days earlier, I had heard about what sounded like an awesome performing-arts show, DRIP. Imagine dancers moving, choreographed paint and water and sand flying, colored lights moving, a live rock band playing music, everything happening in a dark and intimate warehouse bar setting, and the audience standing and watching on the edges of the performance space and becoming an increasingly painted and wet participant. And picture the audience coming early to get a drink and paint each other and hang out, and then doing more of the same afterwards.

It sounded great, and I thought, “I should go to that. I want to do that.” Adding to the awesomeness was that I only learned about the show because I happened to visit a particular bar (recommended by my hosts) and happen to sit in the one spot at the bar that I could have sat, at the right time, to happen to have a conversation with the woman, Mariko, who happened to be the creator of DRIP!

My plan was to check it out my last night in Orlando. Drip with sweat while running in the morning, and then drip with paint while seeing DRIP in the evening. That afternoon, though, I started dragging. Whether it was the good running-feeling subsiding, the growing thoughts of my pending return to regular life at home, or something else, I started feeling the stress and worry that I had been doing good at managing.

So I took a beat and let myself be.

After getting my Dinky picture, I crossed the street and found a warm spot on the grass near Lake Highland. And then I laid down on my back, resting, breathing, looking up, not looking at anything, now with eyes closed, and I let my thoughts come and go, and along the way came the understanding that I would do whatever felt right and that that would be alright. If a more low-key evening is what was moving me, then that’s what I would do. If DRIP became the stronger part of my compass, I’d move in that direction.

The first sign in favor of DRIP was the beet juice, which I’d gotten in my race goody bag. Beet Performer is 100% beet juice, and well, one sip confirmed for me that it’s not my cup of beet juice tea.

This also explains why I had an open, nearly full can of beet juice in my rental car’s cup-holder, which was fine until I unexpectedly backed into a curb while parking, leading to the beet juice spilling and leaving a large maroon mark on my arm. How about that, I thought, I just painted myself.

Then next came the thrift store, which is what I was parking for. If I went to DRIP, I wanted to get a pair of flip flops, as Mariko had mentioned how most people wear old clothes and sandals that they don’t mind getting paint on. And what would you know: the thrift store had my exact size.

I also got The Muppet Movie (a classic, for my nieces) and some reading for the plane.

The final push to DRIP was a therapy-like conversation I had with a bartender a short while later while eating dinner. The thoughts and talk on my end went something like this: Yes, I want to go, but I have a voice telling me I shouldn’t go because I would be going by myself and would feel like I’d have to talk to new people, and I don’t always feel like doing that, and then I would be self-conscious and not enjoy it, and so on. But I want to go. And, I’d already painted myself and found flip flips! And oh yeah, I met the person who created the show, and this is an opportunity to see it and see something awesome. Tonight. And, I can go and do whatever I want, talk to or not talk to people, and have a good time. I can just go and be.

So that’s what I did.

Once upon a time, I wrote about a Two T-Shirt Day. After entering the DRIP bar area and collecting my t-shirt before the show started, I was treated to a zombie-cutting and sleeves-ripping.

And that, when combined with my half marathon attire and with the rest of my day, perspective seen and perspective shown, turned it into a Two Tank Top Day.

Afterwards, with a few of the performers in front, and with a blond Mariko photo-bomb in back

The show was amazing, and after it was over, I sat with myself for a few minutes in the bar area, continuing to be. Among the thoughts that came were, Yes, I’m okay, I’m doing okay, I’m me, I’m ready, Let’s go home, Let’s go.

There was walking and exploring and food trucks on Day 1.
And running, hiking, singing, and swimming on Day 2.
And there was going to be yoga, the beach, and art on Day 3.

Those were my general Day 3 Thursday plans at least, which came together while hiking and swimming during the day on Wednesday and also while getting a drink back at a bar in Orlando Wednesday night.

Wall art, seen while walking back to my car, after leaving the bar, Wednesday night

As it turned out, Thursday would also include a visit to a farm and a second art event. Which is to say: there was a lot going on, and at some points too much as I tried to follow my interests and do too much. But in the end, it was all good. The story continues.

From my hosts, I’d heard about East End Market, a neighborhood market a mile and half away that serves as a food hub, merchant space, and community center. Inside there was a variety of local food businesses (bread, cheese, produce, juice, beer), a coffee shop, a small book store, a plants store, a restaurant, and more. And outside there was a patio courtyard and a community garden project. And: everything Thursday morning, in partnership with Lululemon, there was a free yoga class!

Shop, Learn, Live – the other side of the East End Market card above

So I got up early, jogged to the market, and started the day with yoga. I hadn’t done yoga in a while – the last time was several months prior, coincidentally at a free Lululemon class in Princeton – and I was also planning on doing a half marathon in two days (yes, the Best Damn Race Orlando), so I took it easy. And I was able to relax and it felt good. And with an intention set for the day – love and kindness all around, for myself and others – I got a sourdough loaf from the bakery and ambled around the market, inside and out, at my own pace.

Most of the shops weren’t open yet, but it made me smile to learn that the offices of Edible Orlando were housed there (I picked up the latest copy). And I found a local farms guide! Before jogging home, I sat for a few minutes, relaxing and being.

Where I got into a little trouble that day, back at the house and at other points, was when I started thinking that I needed to do certain things and to fit a lot of things in.

I had the beach in mind, but now I also saw the possibility of visiting some local farms, and Google maps was telling me that logistically it would be possible to visit them on the way back from the beach, and then if I got back in time I could also go to this additional art thing that I’d learned about the night before at the bar. The timing would be tight though, and I couldn’t stay in any one place for too long. But it could work. But I’d be rushing. But it was possible. But I’d be thinking of next place and not relaxing in the moment. What should I do, what should I do… Wait, does this sound familiar?? Yes, to hike or to kayak, that is the question.

In the end, I did them all and I had some stress about it. Who’s not perfect though? This guy.
And who feels better having said that, and having lived and learned through it? Also this guy.

But to move on from this guy,
Let’s talk about this sky.

I brought my lunch with me to beach, and sat with this view.
There were just a few others, enjoying it too.

The admission was free, the opposite of Jersey,
But if you wanted to drive, there was a $10 fee.

There were also many palms,
At the beach and in the street.

And also at the farm,
You can see them behind,

With the strawberries in front,
Growing in lines.

In the end I picked five quarts,
Some peppers and onions too,

Because when the opportunity comes,
That’s what you do.

Yes, stopping at the farm added something to the trip. And strawberries in March, who knew! I didn’t get to also visit an orange grove, but in talking with the farmer while paying, I did learn a little about the orange industry. She told me how a disease, citrus greening, was threatening the entire industry and how her family had successfully transitioned from oranges to vegetables.

Back in Orlando, the first art event I went to that evening was 1st Thursdays at the art museum (good, but with everything else that day and the timing of it, it became part of my day’s too much). And then I went to Mystery Sketch Theater at the Falcon (better, because that’s what I really wanted to do).

When my hosts had mentioned Mystery Sketch Theater – a monthly figure drawing session held at a local bar, where a live model dresses up as a superhero and other unique characters – I was like, “That sounds awesome, I would do that.” I like drawing, I thought, and it sounded like a fun social thing to do with like-minded people. Drawing, drinking, and hanging out, perhaps too with some new friends. I also happened to have brought with me from NJ a set drawing pencils, a sharpener, and a eraser (holiday gifts from one of my brothers that I hadn’t used yet). I’d packed them thinking that maybe I’d use them, and now here was an opportunity!

So I bought a sketchpad and showed up.

The model started with one-minute poses, as a warm up for us as well as for her. This progressed into 5-minute and then 10-minute poses. And then about half-way in, near the hour mark, she took a break for a costume change. From 8 to 9 pm we were drawing a leather-bound Cat-woman type, and from 9 to 10 pm it was Ariel from The Little Mermaid.

First costume

I liked the shortest poses the best – less time to worry about making mistakes. You have to dive in, draw, and be decisive with your lines.

I found that the more time I had, the longer I often hesitated. With some of the longer poses, I’d have very little done until I found out there was a minute left, and then there’d be a flurry of lines and parts in the last 30-60 seconds. Sometimes it would look okay, sometimes not. At a certain point, I could feel myself getting self-critical: “There are so many mistakes in my drawings. They’re not perfect! I’m not perfect! Other people’s drawings look better than mine.” And then it passed.

The truth is, there were some talented artists that night at Mystery Sketch Theater. And while my drawings didn’t always have the right proportions or features (heads, hands, my undoing), that’s okay. I reminded myself, too, that to be good or great at something right away is unrealistic. As in, something that’s not real. And me? Yes, I’m real. And to get better at drawing, and anything in life – meeting new people, enjoying the present moment, seeing the beauty around you everyday – it takes time and practice. And with that in mind, I’m happy to say the following: Enjoy the rest of the art show!

All the drawings, from top to bottom, appear in the order in which they were drawn.

The more I look at them, the more I realize there’s something about every one that I like. A line, a leg, a look, a gesture, a smile, a something. Every one, just like everyone, has something special. I like each one on its own, and all of them as a group.

Do you have a favorite?

Looking at them also makes me want to do more drawing. For context too, the one drawing with the words was the product of that night’s contest: Prior to everyone starting that one, which was the final drawing before the model’s costume change, the suggestion of “Stealing Easter” was selected as the concept for us to transform our drawings into while the model changed.

Some of the Stealing Easter entries

I didn’t win the contest, but I won the day by drawing in a bar on vacation. It was a good Thursday decision. And after it ended, I got a bite to eat with two of the other artists.

According to my notes, I actually made it for the first time in late December. I’ve been playing with it in January though, and let me tell you, it’s a good one to play with since it tastes really good. Sweet, salty, rich, and tart. Sometimes together, and sometimes one after the other. What’s the secret? The three title ingredients, and the white wine and all the rest.

Potato, Apple, and Onion Sauté and Bake

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion – sliced

3 potatoes – peeled, cut in half, and sliced

2 apples – peeled, cored, and chopped and sliced

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 Tbsp thyme

2 Tbsp butter (optional)

Steps

Sauté the onion in oil over medium heat until soft and slightly browned, about 15 minutes

Add the rest of the ingredients – the potatoes, apples, wine, water, salt, thyme, and butter

Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking to the frying pan

Transfer to a 13″ x 9″ x 2″ baking dish

Bake covered at 400 degrees for 20 minutes

Bake uncovered for another 5-10 minutes, to slightly crisp the potatoes (optional)

I took some pictures and made a drawing along the way, too.

Three potatoes, peeled and cut in half

Aka, Potato pinwheel.
Or, Spud-sun.

Or perhaps, Tater, Turtle?

Say what you may, but sometimes potatoes just gotta speak for themselves.

Can you tell I just took a cartooning class?

But back to the recipe – yes, this is a good one, and easy. I sliced the potatoes and apples into relatively thin pieces (white potatoes and macouns, but you could use other ones) and used the wine that I had on hand (Pinot Grigio). You could skip the butter if you want to make it vegan – it tastes good with or without it – and you could also scale it up if you want to make more. The first two times I made it, I also used more olive oil (2 Tbsp one time, and 1 1/2 Tbsp the other time), but I found that 1 Tbsp also worked, so that’s what I included here with the recipe.

Yes, that’s a baking sheet on top of a baking dish.

Poor man’s tin foil.
Rich man’s lid.

The last step, after letting it cool for few minutes, is to summon the foundations of self-restraint and not eat it all right away.

The story and art were good on their own though, so to this next post the artist’s statement did go. Plus, there’s a selection of tomato photo shoot outtakes. Yes, here we are now, behind the scenes.

Some of you may remember how my table looked two months ago after the final garden harvest.

Then from October to December, we went from green to red, and six plates to four.

The amazing thing is how all the tomatoes turned red! I did have to toss a few along the way, but that was to be expected, and beside the point. Per past farmer advice and personal experience, a tomato, picked green, does not ripen. “As long as it has a little color, even the tiniest bit, it’ll turn red, but if it’s all green, it’ll stay green.” Apparently my table, the air in my kitchen, the soil in my garden, and/or the tomatoes’ latent lycopene desire to talk and tell stories won out. Some type of tomato magic you might say. Some internet research now also tells me that green tomatoes, particularly those of a more mature size, do have the potential to ripen. But nonetheless, little green grape and paste tomatoes, turning red!

Perhaps they were waiting for the big stage.

Or hoping to impress some raisins.

Or looking to take a ridic rhyme time pic.

Wassup Catsup.

In any case, the tomato party continues. Initially I had been thinking that once the story was over, I’d come up with a good tomato recipe and use the tomatoes in it. Now I think they’ll keep me company for a while longer.